| Mission type | ABM radar target |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 1977-025A |
| SATCAT no. | 09905 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | DS-P1-I |
| Manufacturer | Yuzhnoye |
| Launch mass | 400 kilograms (880 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 5 April 1977, 10:30 UTC |
| Rocket | Kosmos-2I 63SM |
| Launch site | Plesetsk 133/1 |
| End of mission | |
| Decay date | 28 June 1978 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 269 kilometres (167 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 820 kilometres (510 mi) |
| Inclination | 71 degrees |
| Period | 95.5 minutes |
Kosmos 901 (Russian: Космос 901 meaning Cosmos 901), also known as DS-P1-I No.18 was a satellite which was used as a radar target for anti-ballistic missile tests. It was launched by the Soviet Union in 1977 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme.[1]
It was launched aboard a Kosmos-2I 63SM rocket,[2] from Site 133/1 at Plesetsk. The launch occurred at 10:30 UTC on 5 April 1977.[3]
Kosmos 901 was placed into a low Earth orbit with a perigee of 269 kilometres (167 mi), an apogee of 820 kilometres (510 mi), 71 degrees of inclination, and an orbital period of 95.5 minutes.[1] It decayed from orbit on 28 June 1978.[4]
Kosmos 901 was the eighteenth of nineteen DS-P1-I satellites to be launched.[1] Of these, all reached orbit successfully except the seventh.[5]
